Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Hmm... You know, this cake has been making the rounds quite a bit. And every time I see it pop up, my first thought is "Oh, what a cute name for a cake!" Yeah, I'm also the sort of person who immediately goes for anything with sprinkles. And how can you resist things with names like snickerdoodle? For some reason, the use of "dimply" to describe this cake automatically made me want to like it.

Luckily, dimply plum cake was the pick by Michelle for this week's Tuesdays with Dorie, so my expectations could either be fully met or completely smooshed. And let me tell you, my expectations kept rising as I made this. My plums were perfectly ripe, just the slightest bit tangy. The batter smelled - seriously - like chocolate chip cookie dough, minus the chocolate. And as it was baking? It still smelled like that. Now, I'm the sort of weirdo who really likes chocolate chip cookies minus the chocolate. So sue me, but I love love love plain cookies made with brown sugar - they're more complex than sugar cookies, and you really taste the quality of the ingredients. So you can imagine when I realized that I basically was going to have chocolate chip-less cookies in cake form quite soon.

Not only that, these totally looked like the picture. Well, ignoring the halving of the recipe and subsequent use of my tartlet pans instead of a square pan (don't own one). So me and the boyfriend were quite excited to dig in and see what they tasted like soon after they cooled. And... umm... they were good, but... I don't know. The cake part was a bit dry and crumbly, and I would have loved to have plum throughout. It makes me wonder if I could have just chopped up the plums, sacrificed the pretty presentation, and just mixed them in. The cake was a bit too sweet without the fruit to counterbalance also. Wrapping up the remaining four cakelets, I figured I'd just trust Dorie when she said that the texture changes dramatically by the next day.

Lo and behold, I pulled one out the next night (seriously guys, you need to stop picking things I can't help but keep all to myself), and the texture was completely different. Soft throughout, just a little crunchy on the edges, and nicely jammy around the plum half. After that, I was a goner. Or the cake was. Or both. Needless to say, I want to try this recipe again with different fruit distribution methods and possibly different fruits as well. Definitely a good jumping off point, and definitely tasty.

74 comments:

I used a tart pan also - your little ones look absolutely adorable. Dimply was an appealing name to me also, but boy, are there some differing opinions on that! I found myself wanting as much plum as possible to complement the cake flavors. Next time I'll just jam them on top. Glad these were a hit with you.Nancy

The only thing that sounds cuter than a "Dimply Plum Cake" is a "Dimply Plum Cakelet!!" How adorable is that?? And it is the rare baked good that tastes better on day two, so that's definitely one thing this one has going for it. Yours looks great, and I'm glad you liked it on day two!

I am exactly the same when it comes to chocolate chip cookies.. the cookie is the best part. As for sugar cookies, I find that they are too bland and one dimensional tasting or all you can taste is the butter. My cake was a little crumbly too, but the best part about baking with fruit is the moisture so on the next day it was really good and exactly as you described it. Your tart pan idea was great and your cakelets look really nice!

Those are some aesthetically pleasing little cakes...it is turning out better the next day, I agree. And I am also a lover of chocolate chip cookies without chips...actually, I like the dough without chips. Mmm, raw eggs!

Oh, these little cakelets are so darn cute! You think of the most clever ways to do things each week...I am so non-creative that I even measured my pan to see if it was the same size as Dorie's...LOL...totally can't wing things over here.

Chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate? Now we are talking...why did I never think of that?

LOL -- You are my husband are alike when it comes to cookies. The other day he said, "These cookies would be awesome, if maybe you didn't put in the chocolate chips." Uhhh, they were chocolate chip cookies! :-)

Anyhow, I like your idea of making these in the little tart pans. I'll have to try that. I agree too -- tasted better the second day!

I LOVE your little tartlette plum cake! Brilliant I say! You loved the cake the second day more then the first? I am going to have to re-bake this and try plums that are normal sized. I want to taste what everyone else tasted =D